Jonathan Kozol has been around for quite some time writing

Jonathan Kozol has been around for quite some time writing hard-hitting journalism about flaws in this country. His book Savage Inequities is more of the same with the focus on education. Kozol's strength as a writer is being able to put a face on his topic, anywhere from education to homelessness, etc. He makes the issue real and attaches human faces and real people that the reader can relate to.  In order to write this book, Kozol spent a lot of time traveling around visiting schools. To name a few, he visited schools in New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington D.C. and many others. During his visits, he spent time observing in the classroom as well as interviewing teachers, students, parents, and administrators. What Kozol found out was that schools today are as separate and unequal as they were before the landmark decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954. he determines that the reason for these inequities lies in the way that American schools are funded. America funds its schools with property taxes. The problem with this is that rich suburban areas pay much more property taxes, which makes their schools unrivaled. While in inner city schools, the property tax base is much lower. Therefore, mostly minority kids attend schools without much money. Kozol takes the reader into these schools to make his point. In Chicago, there is a school with no library. They are overcrowded, understaffed, and lack even the basics of resources and equipments. He takes us to a high school in the Bronx where the rain pours in. For example, Kozol states, â€Å"The science labs at East St. Louis High are 30 to 50 years outdated†¦The six lab stations in the room have empty holes where pipes were once attached. ‘It would be great if we had water,' says a physics teacher (Kozol 27). He later hits the reader hard questioning why our country allows this to happen.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Almost anyone who visits in the schools of East St. Louis†¦comes away profoundly shaken. These are innocent children, after all†¦One searches   fro some way to understand why a society as rich and, frequently, as      generous as ours would leave these children in their penury and squalor   for so long-and with so little public indignation. Is this just a strange    mistake of history?†¦why is it that we can't at least pour vast amounts of      money, ingenuity, and talent into public education for these children? (140).  He literally bombards the reader with real horror stories of his visits and travels in order to put a face on the poor state of education.   It isn’t just about education and schools and teachers; there are real kids involved here who are not getting what they need. Of Patterson, New Jersey, he states, â€Å"The city is so short of space that four elementary schools now occupy   abandoned factories. Children at one wood-frame elementary school,   which has no cafeteria or indoor space for recreation, eat lunch in a section of the boiler room. A bathroom houses reading classes (Kozol 106).  He compares these schools to suburban ones where conditions are much better. Teachers are paid much more, libraries are stocked, and technology abounds. He does a fantastic job at showing the contrasts between the wealthy schools and the poor schools. With the pictures he paints for the reader, the reader cannot argue with him. He also makes a plea for America to value equality and fix its schools. â€Å"And yet we stop to tell ourselves: These are Americans. Why do we       reduce them to this beggary – and why, particularly, in public education?      Why not spend on children here at least what we would be investing in   their education if they lived within a wealthy district like Winnetka, Illinois, or Cherry Hill, New Jersey, or Manhasset, Rye, or Great Neck in   New York? Wouldn't this be natural behavior in an affluent society that      seems to value fairness in so many other areas of life? Is fairness less    important to Americans today than in some earlier times? Is it viewed as    slightly tiresome and incompatible with hardnosed values? What do   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Americans believe about equality? (Kozol 41) Kozol ends the book with a vivid picture of an elementary school in a neighborhood of Cincinnati. He tells the reader that atmosphere was polluted with factories, prostitutes were near, and â€Å"Bleakness was the order of the day.† Kozol said he â€Å"rarely saw a child with a good big smile (Kozol 230-31). He leaves the reader with a bad taste in his/her mouth at the state of schools. This he does in hopes of spurring his readers to action. His research methods would be described as informal because his analysis comes from observations and interviews. There is no standard form that he uses, but he gets the material nonetheless. He devotes a chapter to teach area he discusses and gives the reader a description of the city as to understand why the schools are the way they are.  His findings are extremely significant to America as he clearly delineates the problems of American schools. With the images he creates, no one can argue with him. The pictures of these inner city schools are bleak. A criticism for Kozol is that he does not concentrate on any other problems in education besides inequality. Not that the inequality of schools is not a huge problem, but there are other problems that lead to poor achievement as well. No Child Left Behind plays a role. If those kids don't do well on the tests, more funding can be cut. Inner city schools do not tend to keep their teachers, With high teacher turnover, it is even harder for students to learn, and there may be large gaps in curriculum. There are also many forces at play outside the school, such as the home lives and parental involvement of these students. Probably the biggest criticism of Kozol is that he offers no solutions; he only identifies problems. He would probably say that solutions aren't his job, and he would leave that to the educational theorists. But after reading his condemnations, it would be nice to hear some of his ideas for solutions. Kozol doesn't tell the reader this, but The relationship between funding and academic achievement is unclear. However, it does not take a genius to figure this out. Will more money alone solve the problems in schools? Of course, it won't. However, more money will help. Money will help schools fix dilapidated buildings, buy equipment and resources, hire more teachers and aides to promote lower class sizes, attract better teachers who are more qualified, and a myriad of other things. But throwing money at the problem is only a start. These schools need help. They need more community and parental involvement. They need after school programs and tutoring programs and teachers with the knowledge and compassion to continue in the profession. Kozol doesn't mention other solutions except to give the schools more money, but there are many other things needed. Even money will not solve the problems of segregation. Inner city schools are made up mostly of minority students. How is that problem solved? Yes, more whites who fled to the suburbs are finding their way back to the inner city, but this is not always a good thing either. They are uprooting established communities in the process of gentrification and displacing people who may have nowhere else to go. This is why Kozol focuses on the money, because as difficult as it will be to change the way we fund schools, it will be harder to desegregate communities. Kozol makes good sense when he speaks of getting rid of the property tax funding for schools and finding a new way to fund them. If education is supposed to be democratic, and it is, America cannot continue to fund schools this way. The system America has virtually guarantees that parents who can afford to buy big houses in the suburbs will send their children to better schools. For school administrators and all personnel in schools, there are many things to be learned from this book. the most important one is that as educators, we should be fighting for democratic schools. Administrators should be out there fighting the property tax system and leading the charge to find other, more equitable ways to fund schools. Administrators also ought to be required to take a look around at the world. They should be required to visit inner city schools to truly understand what other educators go through on a daily basis. Administrators should value quality teachers all the more after reading this book, and go out of their way to keep their quality teachers. Truly, everyone even thinking about becoming an educator should read a book like this, and visit these schools.   Most of us do not even know what a crisis we are in, right now in America.   And hopefully, future educators will be the ones to fix this crisis. Work Cited Kozol, Jonathan, Savage Inequities, Harper Perennial, 1992.

What influence has Vincent van Gogh

Artists had many original ideas during van Sago's lifetime, though they could not be conveniently categorized. The term ‘Post-Impressionist' denotes a few independent artists, like van Gogh who at the end of the 19th century rebelled against the limitations of traditional Impressionism. However, it does not account for an artistic style or formal movement. They expressed a range of individual styles which focused on the emotional, structural, symbolic and spiritual elements that they felt where missing from Impressionism.The work of these painters formed a basis for several art movements. Van Gogh was an important artist in the late 19th century Symbolist movement. Symbolism emerged in France between 1885 and 1910 as a reaction against Realism and Impressionism. The symbolic value or meaning of an artwork came from the recreation of emotional experiences in the viewer through color, line, and composition. The first works of van Gogh were produced through Color Symbolism. He fel t that certain colors had a symbolic meaning, as he associated them with different moods.Dark blue and black signified dread and fear, light and brighter tones, such as turquoise and yellow were used to create a sense of peace and calm. Van Sago's preferred color was yellow; he strongly linked this color with happiness and warmth. His Sunflowers 1888) painting evidently features many shades of yellow as it was painted during one of the most hopeful times of van Sago's life. His tendency to make stress on symbolic colors became a worldwide phenomenon in various cultures. Van Sago's guidance on Symbolism had a large practice in the following art movements, Fauvism and Expressionism.Van Gogh was involved in the development of Fauvism. It was the first 20th century movement in modern art, a short-lived approach to painting focused in France between 1900 and 1908. Van Sago's experiments with paint application, subject matter, form and most significantly, pure unmixed color undistributed to the beginnings that brought forth Fauvism. Henry Matisse was a prominent leader in the Fauvist movement. He created the Fauve style after experimenting with several Post-Impressionist approaches, primarily the technique of Vincent van Gogh.Matisse's influence inspired him to reject traditional methods of perception however he retained the realistic values of Impressionism. He adopted van Sago's use of strong colors and loose application of it into his work. In 1901, Maurice De Villains encountered a display of van Sago's work at the Galleries Beriberi-Jejune in Paris. â€Å"I was so moved that I wanted to cry with Joy and despair. On that day I loved van Gogh more than I loved my father†, he declared. This turned Villains decisively towards an art career indebted to van Gogh.Ultimately, Villains became an original member of the Fauve group, alongside Henry Matisse. Together, they formally launched Fauvism at the 1905 Salon autonomy. Van Gogh once wrote to his brother Thee, â€Å"Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more arbitrarily in order to express myself forcibly†¦ To exaggerate the essential and to leave the obvious vague†, this confirms his technique which was used excessively by the Fauvists. Van Sago's unique style clearly had an influence upon later artists which stemmed into the establishment Fauvism.The first phase of the 20th century Expressionist movement was led by van Gogh. The movement originated from Germany and had spread across Europe lasting from 1905 to 1920. Expressionism came into existence as a reaction against Impressionism; it was mainly inspired by the expressive and symbolist currents in late 19th century art. In the words of art critic Sue Hubbard, â€Å"At the beginning of the twentieth century Van Gogh gave the Expressionists a new painterly language that enabled them to go beyond reface appearance and penetrate deeper essential truths†.He proved particularly influential on the Expressionists encouraging them to employ symbolic colors, distorted forms, surfaces and shapes to produce a highly emotional effect. Van Gogh was more popular in Germany than anywhere else. German Expressionist, Ernest Ludwig Kerchief and other artists of Die Brooke (The Bridge) were fascinated by van Sago's technique, adopting his dramatic brushwork and sharp color contrasts. Another major German Expressionist, Vastly Sandusky and the artists of the Deer Blade Ritter (The Blue Rider) movement lasting from 1911 to 1914, admired van Gogh or rejecting visible reality in his artworks.Private collectors and museum directors in Germany were among the first to purchase van Sago's work, providing evidence that he was in fact involved in the beginning of the Expressionist movement. Jackson Pollock and Willie De Cooking were arguably the most important pioneers of Abstract Expressionism who were influenced by van Gogh in the sass and sass. The artists have been described as , â€Å"†¦ Powerfully inventive developing a radically new approach to painting† . Yet, their work was not completely original; they incorporated van Sago's experimental technique of sweeping, expressive restructures into their artworks.Vincent brushstrokes reflected his mood; he used many short, broken strokes to create a sense of agitation, and longer brushstrokes to convey a feeling of greater calm. His technique was used excessively by Abstract Expressionists, having a moderate impact on the movement. Artists today are still inspired by van Sago's unique vision. ‘America's Vincent van Gogh' of the 21st century is currently leading Contemporary Impressionists. Stefan Duncan has been greatly influenced by van Gogh in that he uses a vibrant, kinetic style with an updated quinine to draw quick unblended strokes into long curvy lines.His impressionistic approach attempts to capture nature's beauty in all of his work. Duncan has currently classified his art approa ch into a new branch of Impressionism known as, Squiggles. The new Contemporary Impressionists strive to prove that van Sago's style is no longer a dead art form and is still developing and altering with the times. The legacies of van Sago's work have contributed to modern cultural depiction of art. Van Gogh produced 900 paintings and made 1,100 sketches in the last ten years of is life, while only selling one of them in his career, The Red Vineyard (1888).His most acclaimed works were created within a span less than three years, a time in which he suffered from mental illness and instability. Greatly contrasting his lifetime of poverty, Van Sago's paintings have become extremely iconic; some have established record prices being among the world's most expensive paintings, such as his portrait of Dry. Cachet (1890), sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Thus, the works of van Gogh contain aspects of high culture that are seen as of lasting artistic alee, furthering how art is now culturally depicted.A majority of our greatest painters enjoyed fame and often wealth during their lifetime; however van Sago's reputation steadily increased after his death. The dramatic elements of his personal tale involved poverty, self-mutilation, mental breakdown and suicide. Sadly, his mental state has tended to overshadow modern perceptions of his art. Van Gogh has become almost inseparable from his work inspiring others to dramatist his saga in poems, novels, films, operas, dance ensembles, orchestral compositions and popular music.Lust for Life† (1956) is a biographical film of the life of van Gogh, based on Irving Stone's 1932 novel. It describes the origins of van Sago's paintings and letters between him and his brother, Thee. The film reveals van Gogh as a tortured genius and recounts significant moments in his lifetime, particularly his suffering from mental illness and obsession with painting. Van Sago's conception as an artist is largely based on his reputatio n and personal tale which has had an overall impact on how art is now culturally depicted. Vincent van Gogh has become enormously influential on art over the last 200 years.His involvement in the early development of Symbolism, Fauvism and Expressionism as well as various other aspects of art has shaped our present world. Van Gogh has clearly demonstrated that painting was not merely a study of the visible surroundings, but also an expression of the artist's emotional response. Consequently, artists continue to mimic his signature style. His artwork legacy and personal tale has inspired countless people to become art involved. Van Gogh will persistently be regarded as one of history greatest painters and a vital contributor to the foundations of modern art.

Gender and Family Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender and Family - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, children from families with poor communication and structures have a high likelihood of turning deliquescent than their colleagues coming from well-structured families (Regoli, Hewitt & DeLisi, 2010). The attachment between parents and their children also plays a pivotal role in determining whether these children will tread the delinquent path or not. Children exposed to strenuous and hostile environments at a tender age are more likely to turn delinquent than those that are raised in favorable environments. It is the expectation of the society for parents and guardians to play their role of control to their children, failure to which, formal control measures can be instituted by state authorities such as the juvenile justice system. This research paper will try to dissect the issue of juvenile delinquency and discuss the impact of gender and family on street delinquency (Regoli, Hewitt & DeLisi, 2010). Gender differences between males and females not only affect the crime pattern but also the way the juvenile offenders are treated (Siegel & Welsh, 2010). Generally, harsh punishments are meted on male offenders than the female offenders of the same crime. This bias treatment by the juvenile justice system contributes to the gender gap in delinquency. Gender distinction between males and females also offers a partial explanation as to why males are more delinquent than females. The aggressive nature of boys and their capacity to forge associations and attachments are some of the factors contributing to the high rates of delinquency among the boys. In their associations, males are more susceptible to group pressures and peer influence, and this often leads them to engage in juvenile crimes (Siegel & Welsh, 2010). Gender differences in development and socialization may influence the delinquency pattern (Siegel & Welsh, 2010). Girls are socialized to control their emotions better than the boys. As the

Python assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Python - Assignment Example Before using methods of a classes that are user defined, it is necessary to create an object which will temporarily hold values returned by the various methods of the associated class. bFiles is created to facilitate calling of the two methods of BrowseFiles. After variable and object declarations and initialization, the files containing the group of words to use for the game are read into the program using the open() method and stored in variables f1, f2, and f3 as shown in the file above. This program has used only three input files, however more files can be reead into the program when a method to read files is defined. The three for loops then loop through each file adding each word to a group according to its file. Once all the files have been loaded into the program and assigned to different groups, suggested management activities can be performed upon them. To browse the groups available, a user is asked to choose one of the groups so that its contents can be displayed. Using the object created BrowseFiles method browseGroups is called and given the user value for the group together with the groups as arguments. It then prints the words under the specified group. Deletion is done in the same way where the delGroup() is called and given the group name to delete. Fig.1.0. illustrates these activities. First important variables are declared: choice holds the string of words entered by user, score holds the number of words from the user choice that are present in the group chosen while score_record holds the score together with the timestamp of when it was created. The game prompts the user to enter the name of the group from which the jumbled words should be extracted. The group is then returned containing the words in reverse. The user is then prompted to enter the words that they can make out from the list. The loop checks each of the words against the original group and increments the

Role of E-Commerce in Todays Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Role of E-Commerce in Todays Business - Essay Example In the past few years, we have seen a large number of developments in all the areas of life. These rapid developments and advancements in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have provided considerable support for the establishment of an arrangement of organizations that divide with the larger suppliers and producers the tasks of product and service planning, design, suppliers’ and retailers’ communications, production, goods delivery and packaging, customer advertisement and marketing, and a number of other tasks that were in the past were disconnected, otherwise, concerted in a particular large firm (Scavarda et al., 2001; Tremblay, 1998). The majority of business organizations perceive electronic commerce as application of the Internet or the electronic platforms as a platform to sell and promote products, services and goods to the customers. However, this constricted description of the e-commerce only describes the Internet based commerce. In actual point of fact, e-commerce contains a wide variety of other aspects as well. In this scenario, e-commerce can be defined as the electronic transactions for trading information, products, services, goods and payments along with additional processes such as the development and protection of Web-based associations. In this scenario, it can be said that electronic commerce encompasses a number of attributes and entities and it is not limited to only some entities such as the Internet, extranets, intranets, electronic data interchange (EDI), and various others.

The Impact of the Euro Since Its Launch Dissertation

The Impact of the Euro Since Its Launch - Dissertation Example The Euro is one of the stable currencies in the world. It is the official currency of the eurozone which consists of 17 member states of the European Union. The euro was introduced as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999. The notes and coins for the euro were brought into circulation on 1 January 2002. In the period between the introduction of the currency and the advent of its notes and coins, the preceding currencies’ notes and coins were accepted, however such currencies were fixed against the euro. The significance of the currency on a global scale can be determined by the fact that it has become second largest reserve currency in the world. Apart from that, it has also become second most traded currency all over the world after the US $. According to the statistics released by European Union, more than â‚ ¬800 billion were in circulation as at June 2010. The euro has surpassed US$ in the combined value of notes and coins in circulation all over the world. According to the estimates released by IMF, eurozone is the second largest economy in the world. Many US economists had criticized the idea of a currency such as euro. According to such economists, euro was bound to be a failure and it would not last for so long. However, euro surpassed everyone’s expectations and in a very short period of time, it evolved to be one of the most powerful currencies in the world. Most economists were against the idea of monetary unification however the success of euro proves that mone tary unification is an evolutionary process. ... However, euro surpassed everyone’s expectations and in a very short period of time, it evolved to be one of the most powerful currencies in the world. Most economists were against the idea of monetary unification however the success of euro proves that monetary unification is an evolutionary process. From these facts and figures, it can be inferred that euro has become one of the most powerful currencies in the world and it has significant impact on the global economy. 2. Euro as Reserve Currency In order for a currency to be a favoured reserve currency, it must have well developed financial markets. The euro was formed after the unification of 17 currencies of the member states of the European Union. The unification strengthened the euro financial markets and it lowered the macro-economic risks of the countries in eurozone. This was one of the reasons why euro became one of the biggest reserve currencies all around the world. It inherited its reserve status from the currencie s that dissolved into euro. Before the introduction of euro the overall share of US$ as reserve currency was 70.9% which dropped to 64% in the year 2008. On the other hand, the inherited proportion of the euro as reserve currency was 17.9% in the year in which it was introduced, i.e., 1998. One of the reasons behind the euro’s status of one of the most reserve currencies is due to German Mark. The proportion of euro as reserve currency increased to 26.5% in the year 2008. The euro has significantly affected the status of US$ as a reserve currency. Most economists are also debating the possibility of the euro replacing the US$ as the most held reserve currency. According to David

Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Strategy - Essay Example Selling designer clothes to cater for the rich includes Louis Vuitton, Gucci and many other brands. Tailor clothes for the middle class and second hand clothes for the poor. We can also market the gap by locating our shops at different geographical areas in the global market. By doing this, we will make it easier for the customers to access our products without any difficulties, which will facilitate our selling and, therefore, reduce competition. Due to the improved technology, we can introduce buying of goods online and special delivery. This will motivate the busy, disabled, lazy, so that they purchase goods from our premises since busy people won’t have to neglect their busy schedule to go shopping. The disabled will also have an advantage as they will not struggle going to the market (McDonald, 2008). The lazy will also be lured to our premises, and this will boost our selling and reduce competition, thus, marketing the gap. Gap Company should attract customers from many different social classes so that they can improve their profits. Even though the gap strategy limited how the company was presenting its brand to different social classes. Gab Company should start many peer retailer shops for them to capture the low earning citizens throughout the world. The company should consider having various prices in different branches so that they can attract as many customers as possible. Gap should ensure that they do not sell inferior products at high prices because this will only make people to avoid buying the products. They should not introduce products which are not relevant to the consumers and sell them at a high price (McDonald, 2008). There is also the introduction of new stores that sold goods at high prices, yet the old stores were selling products at a fair price. This made customers from the new geographical areas to avoid purchasing products from the new stores because they were very expensive. It is a high

Women oppression in the united States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Women oppression in the united States - Essay Example The reality was dawning on American women that marriage and childbearing were not a guarantee for happiness. In the past, women were expected to take care of their families and perform domestic cores rather than looking for work. The society considered working women less feminine (Friedan 15).young women who left college prioritized getting married and siring children than anything else. However, housewives were increasingly becoming discontented with the kind of life they were leading, which was akin to prison life. They were becoming bored and desperate (Friedan 9). Many American women were privately seeking the services of psychiatrists as they suffered from fatigue because of numerous chores. Ancient American women mainly focused on domestic duties rather than pursue formal jobs, which were a preserve for men. The women were getting bored and desperate following their home routines. The women were obliging to the expert advice that their role was to find husbands and sire children then take care of their families. However, things have changed. The issue of gender equality has become more important than ever before. Women should be allowed to work and given equal job opportunities as their male counterparts. Women have high potential that could be exploited beyond the confines of their matrimonial

Collapse of the Soviet Union Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Collapse of the Soviet Union - Term Paper Example he US of masterminding the fall of this great republic as it was only the fall of the Soviet Union that would have made the US the sole superpower in the world. The Soviet Union utterly rejected the cultures and values of the west as they were in full control of their lives and it was not until the collapse of the republic that the individual countries that constituted the old republic begin to accept some norms and values of the west. The Soviet Union also were also advanced in the art of warfare and they were technologically advanced during that period and it was only very few countries that could match up with its strength. The collapse of the Soviet was unarguably one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century and the collapse of the Soviet bloc still has far-reaching consequences in the world today and the impacts would continue to be felt in the years that follow. Countries of the former Soviet Union have been really affected by the collapse of the bloc, while some countries like Russia and Estonia have come out of the Soviet Union strong, some like Armenia and Azerbaijan have grown weaker. The effect of the collapse on the countries of the Soviet Union shall be highlighted in this paper and it would help us to know the countries that were greatly affected by the collapse and the ones that the collapse had little or no effect on. Though, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, there had been cracks in the walls that held the republic together (Remnick 19). The collapse of the Soviet Union with its fortified walls shows that there is no great country, civilization or republic that cannot crumble and its fall is a lesson to other powers of the world, especially the superpower US. The Soviet Union looked so strong after the Second World War to the ninth decade of that century. The strength of the Soviet Union was made possible by the strong communist and totalitarian regime in the region at that time. The collapse of the Soviet Union happened

An Assignment on the Linguistic Acquisition Device Essay Example for Free

An Assignment on the Linguistic Acquisition Device Essay In linguistics, language acquisition is the process through which human beings obtain the capability to comprehend and perceive language as well as produce sentences and words and utilize them to communicate. According to Chomsky, his Linguistic Acquisition Device (LAD) encompassed a device that children were born that could be defined as the inborn ability to comprehend the language principles. This LAD fits his innateness Hypothesis of language acquisition because he believed that once a child was exposed to language, the LAD would enable him or her to learn language in an outstanding pace as also elucidated under his critical period hypothesis Question Two According to Noam Chomsky’s critical period hypothesis, human speech encompassed a genetically programmed ability that had a critical age threshold. This is because like a variety of other human behaviors, an individual’s ability to acquire language is based on critical periods that are defined as the limited time span during which the individual is sensitive to the language acquisition external stimuli that enables him or her to acquire language. Once this time is surpassed the individual has minimum chances of acquiring language. This critical period in language acquisition was adolescence to Chomsky. Question Three Genie was discovered in Los Angeles on November 4, 1970. She was discovered by a social worker in Temple City, California when she accompanied her mother as she sought for disability benefits due to near blindness. The social worker had initially sensed that something was wrong with Genie and she got so shocked when she greeted them and discovered that Genie was actually 13 years old though the social worker had estimated that she was autistic and half that age. The social worker contacted her supervisor, who after questioning Genie’s mother contacted the police. Genie’s parents were later arrested and she was made the ward of the court and later transferred to the Children’s Hospital Lost Angeles. She was unable to acquire a language within a critical period due to the severe child abuse she went through under the hands of her father. Question Four The symptoms she displayed of this failure after she was discovered were here severe undersize regardless of her advanced age of 13 years. She had no understanding of grammar she could only comprehend 15-20 words. Two short phrases were what consisted of her active vocabulary and hence she had complete lack of speech, not because she was selectively mute but because she lacked any type of language. Though she had considerable memories of her past she lacked a way to communicate them. Question Five The forbidden experiment was the language deprivation experiment under which infants were isolated from any normal utilization of signed or spoken language as an attempt to discover the origin or language or human nature’s fundamental characteristics. Viktor became a model of this experiment because before his discovery he had lived in a forest like a wild animal and had been unable to understand or speak any language. After being placed under the care of Dr Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, he acquired the language rudiments and became socialized. Question Six She began to use the two-word phrases when she started to understand about 200 vocabulary words. Her speech began to improve after settling in her ne surrounding though it continued to exhibit latency. With time she started using negative forms with not rather than the prefix un. By October 1973 she could easily comprehend complex negation forms. By October 1971 she could listen to people talking and even contribute to the conversations. By November f the same year her speech and grammar could be equated to that of an 18 or 20 month old baby. By 1972 she could use complex noun phrases and regular plurals as well as understand interrogative words. By 1973 she was using determiners, definite articles, possessives and imperative sentences. She however did not acquire automatic speech. Question Seven The ethical implications of the language deprivation experiment are that it encompassed an inhuman experiment that would deprive the infants of their language acquisition abilities. Regardless of this Viktor benefited from this experiment because he was later able to acquire language rudiments and be socialized. The ethical implications of the experiments on Genie were linked to the fact that they subjected her to additional child abuse rather than help her because the researchers were more focused on the results of their results rather than hoe the research could benefit Jeanie. To some extent Jeanie benefited from the experiments because her language abilities improved but the researchers used her to acquire fame.

Lukes Three Dimensions of Power

Lukes Three Dimensions of Power Lukes: On Power Power is a term that has seen much discourse and debate. The meaning of the word has been discussed and developed by many people from varying walks of life; academics, philosophers, politicians, and many others. It is a term whose understanding is crucial to how we, as humans, view and live in our social world, as it is a concept that governs our everyday living in several ways; some of which we are not even aware of. Political and social theorist, Steven Lukes, defines power in terms of, what he calls ‘dimensions. These dimensions or faces of power are approaches that can be used to study power relations. Lukes looks at the theory of power in three dimensions of what he calls a â€Å"conceptual analysis† (Lukes, 1974: 9). Lukes puts across an implicit proposition that the level and effectiveness of power in a given institution, can be analysed using these criteria (Lukes, 1974: 10). Lukes three dimensions of power can thus be used to study corporate power; an issue of g rowing concern and discourse space in the contemporary world. The one dimensional view of power proposed by Lukes is commonly known as the ‘pluralist view of power (Lukes, 1974: 11). Dahl, Polsby and Wolfinger are some of the more prominent writers on this approach of looking at power (Lukes, 1974: 11). It is known as the ‘pluralist approach to power because, through it, its proponents sought to show interest groups, in any democratic power structure, compete for power (Lukes, 1974: 11). Dahl differentiates the pluralist view from the elitist by asserting that his ‘intuitive view of power involves not only the possession of, but the exercise of power; comes not only by reputation but also by execution (Lukes, 1974: 12). The argument of the one dimensional view of power asserts that the group/s wielding power can be determined by simply looking at who prevails when there are decisions to be made and there is â€Å"observable direct conflict† (Lukes, 1974: 12). The pluralist approach emphasises the importance of actual ob servable behaviour and hence studies the outcomes of decision making (Lukes, 1974: 25). Such empirical study can be done through first-hand observation by analysis of official second-hand records (Lukes, 1974: 13). Dahl acknowledges that the power wielded by a group may be overt or covert, but the actual culmination of power is seen at the point when decisions are made, especially the decisions on controversial issues that are surrounded by the most conflict (Lukes, 1974: 13). Robert Dahl exemplifies the pluralistic view of power with his analysis of the power structure in New Haven, Connecticut; in the 1950s (Domhoff, 2005). In Dahls view, there were a number of influential groups whose opinions held weight when it came to making and influencing decisions about the city (Domhoff, 2005). His conclusion about the power structure in, New Haven was that no single group held the monopoly on power (Domhoff, 2005). Although there were inequalities within the society, the fact that power was dispersed among different elites with different interests at heart meant that the situation was one of ‘dispersed inequalities; where no one group controlled all of the important resources (Domhoff, 2005). The one dimensional view of power is very simple to grasp and can be observed with relative ease. The theory gives a straightforward way of thinking about â€Å"the behavioural study of decision-making power by political actors† (Lukes, 1974: 57). It would be useful in many cases, especially where pluralist power structures have been established. However, the view fails to observe, in any system, the means by which the political agenda is controlled (Lukes, 1974: 57). In many cases, the exercise of power is more subtle and results from the use of mechanics beyond the scope of the one dimensional view. Lukes two dimensional theory of power is an elitist view theorized by Bachrach and Baratz, as a critique to the one dimensional pluralist view (Lukes, 1974: 16). This two dimensional view acknowledges the observable power of Dahls theory but asserts that power is exercised when issues are arranged specifically so that some are not discussed (Lukes, 1974: 16). By keeping issues of potential conflict off the agenda, observable conflict is completely avoided, but clearly ‘power over is still exercised (Lukes, 1974: 17). The first dimension would only look at the apparently open discussion and the results of conflict over matters actually allowed onto the agenda, but miss the more subtle exercise of power (Lukes, 1974: 19). Bachrach and Baratz also mention the latent power relations that occur in the event of â€Å"non-decisions† (Lukes, 1974: 18). This is when actor ‘B refrains from voicing and issue of interest to him/her, anticipating an unpleasant reaction from act or ‘A (Lukes, 1974: 18). ‘Non-decisions such as this consolidate the dominance of a particular group and help in maintaining the status quo of power relations (Lukes, 1974: 19). The two dimensional view of power thus consists of observable decision making and more subtle non-decision making. Decision making is the selection of one option from a set of alternatives, whereas non-decision making entails suppressing an interest that conflicts with those of decision-maker (Lukes, 1974: 19). In effect Bachrach and Baratz distinguish between potential and actual political issues, thereby drawing a distinct difference from the pluralist view that only looks at the ‘key issues that are actually in the discourse (Lukes, 1974: 20). From this distinction the authors draw the conclusion that behaviourism is false (Lukes, 1974: 20). In other words conclusions about power cannot always be drawn from observable behaviour. The two dimensional view of power recognises this; that the mechanisms of power and the way it operates can go beyond what meets the eye. Power is not only reflected in struggles within a system, but is also present in deciding what can get into the system and what cannot; defining the boundaries of the system (Lukes, 1974: 20). Crensons book The Un-Politics of Air Pollution: A Study of Non-Decision making in the Cities, a good example, of the two dimensional theory, is provided. Lukes asserts that the example also borders on the third dimension of power (Lukes, 1974: 42). The example focuses on two cities in Indiana; Gary and East Chicago. Both cities had similar populations and were facing a similar level and problem of pollution (Lukes, 1974: 42). East Chicago took measures to clean its air in 1949, while Gary only took action in 1962 (Lukes, 1974: 42). Crenson explains that the reason behind Garys inaction was that the citys prosperity was based on the only major industrial company in it; U.S. Steel (Lukes, 1974: 42). The issue was kept out of discourse for so long because of the reputation of U.S. Steel (Lukes, 1974: 43). The company exercised ‘silent power and did not need to act, but it was simply its potential to act that kept policy-makers silent on the issue (Lukes, 1974: 43). The two dimensional view of power is a good critique on the one dimensional view as it aptly points out the flaws of the one dimensional view as it aptly points out the flaws of the one dimensional view, then goes on to set out a theory that holds water better than the first one. It fails, however, to satisfactorily examine the bias and control of power; â€Å"it lacks sociological perspective† that is used to observe the methods by which â€Å"latent conflicts within society† are suppressed (Lukes, 1974: 57). Lukes is not satisfied with the two dimensional view of power as set out by Bachrach and Baratz (Lukes, 1974: 21). He offers three criticisms, which in his opinion, are the shortcomings of this view (Lukes, 1974: 21). From these, Lukes suggests that power can go deeper, into a ‘third dimension. The first criticism, of the two dimensional view, put forward by Lukes is that it, like the one dimensional view, is still too behaviourist (Lukes, 1974: 21). The argument of Bachrach and Baratz implies that the power exercised in the exclusion of information is deliberate; a conscious decision made by the decision-maker (Lukes, 1974: 21). This, however, is not the case. Such selection of issues may merely be the unconscious following of bias within a system and not an intentional attempt at exercising power by any particular group (Lukes, 1974: 22). The exclusion of certain issues from an agenda may also result from the norms of a particular society due to the prevailing modes of thought in the time and place in question (Lukes, 1974: 22). For example, before the twentieth century, women were generally viewed as naturally subordinate to men, thus issues of empowering women would not be seen as issues meriting consideration or attention. Lukes second criticism of the two dimensional of power argues that the theory still refers to the potential of conflict (Lukes, 1974: 23). The theory asserts that if people were made aware of the exclusion of certain matters, of interest to them, and the agenda they would react in order to protect their rights (Lukes, 1974: 23). Contrary to Bachrach and Baratzs theory, the ‘air-pollution example showed that the decision makers, who had the interests of the people in mind, knew all of the relevant facts pertaining to the situation; however, they still took no action against U.S. Steel (Lukes, 1974: 43). This shows that power can act in a further ‘dimension and take an even more insidious form. The third criticism Lukes has, of the two dimensional view of power, is that when it analyses if power has been exercised or not, it looks only at the subjective interests, policy preferences and grievances that are overridden (Lukes, 1974: 24). The view holds that if the observer can find no grievances there is the assumption that there is ‘genuine consensus on the issue at hand (Lukes, 1974: 24). The view, however, does not consider the possibility of a group having preferences that do not necessarily include all of its real interest (Lukes, 1974: 24). For example, in 2009 the number of American workers in trade unions was 12.3% and only 7.2% in the private sector (White, 2010). The ‘peak in the private sector was 30% in 1958 (White, 2010). Trade unions can organise and empower workers if they have significant membership and worker support. It is a real interest for workers to be involved in them, but partly due to the historical linking of trade unions with communism a nd partly due to other factors, few American workers choose to exercise their rights to join trade unions (White, 2010). Lukes sets out his own idea of how the most effective forms of power operate. He calls it three dimensional power (Lukes, 1974: 23). Lukes asserts that this form of power, to operate effectively, requires an acceptance of the status quo because of an accepted underlying ideology (Lukes, 1974: 23). Those who hold power within the system will be accepted by the people, due to the peoples belief in the system (Lukes, 1974: 23). In such a situation the preferences of the people can be manipulated to fall into line with the agenda of the rulers (Lukes, 1974: 23). Lukes calls his three dimensional view the â€Å"supreme and most insidious exercise of power† as it allows rulers to shape the preferences and perception of the masses as well as prevent them from having grievances (Lukes, 1974: 23). This is because, as Lukes argues, the people will â€Å"see or imagine no alternative† to the existing order â€Å"or because they see it as natural and unchangeable, or because they value it as divinely ordained and beneficial† (Lukes, 1974: 23). Three dimensional power works by means of a mechanism called adaptive policy formation (Barber, 2007). This refers to a human reaction of reconciling oneself to ones misery, or altering ones attitude to console oneself in difficult circumstances (Barber, 2007). In embracing a particular system, people accept its consequences and thus resort to cognitive dissonance reduction as a functional means of dealing with oppression (Barber, 2007). It is, however, ironic to note that the worse off a people are, the less they demand (Barber, 2007). Rather than acting in favour of their interests, they accept repression and adapt to oppressive conditions. An example of three dimensional power at play is Sen and Nussbaums analysis of Bengal, where of the millions affected by the post 1944 famine, it was primarily men who reported to relief centres for aid, despite both sexes being similarly affected (Sen, 2008). In accepting their ‘place, of having limited rights in society, the women were n ot prepared to step forward and claim their rights to healthcare (Sen, 2008). Three dimensional power is the most supreme form of power as it gives rulers almost totalitarian power over the masses (Lukes, 1974: 23). Steven Lukes provides three theories of power and evaluates them, and at the same time building on their scope and complexity. His third dimension of power does a good job of exploring and explaining the mechanisms behind complex and entrenched power. The other two dimensions account for weaker forms of power that can be exercised. Lukes third dimension of power can be applied in explaining corporate power in the modern world. Corporate power is built on an unquestioned and accepted ideology, founded on the premise that it is the natural way of being of as Margaret Thatcher voiced out, â€Å"There is no alternative†. Acceptance of the free market ideology inevitably means acceptance of its consequences; the status quo of our world today. Lukes theory also helps us to explain why despite the destruction that is done to the planet, and the disregard for humanity, that characterises the system, it has survived and still thrives. Lukes, then, very aptly describes this form of powe r as both â€Å"insidious† and â€Å"supreme† (Lukes, 1974: 23). Bibliography S. Lukes, 1974, Power: A Radical View ed.1, Macmillan: London. H. E. Barber, â€Å"Social Theory and Practice†, 2007, at http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-160421643.html. G. W. Domhoff, â€Å"Who Really Ruled in Dahls New Haven?† 2005, at http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/local/new_haven.html. A. Sen, â€Å"Gender and Hunger Issues and Misconceptions†, 2010, at http://athome.harvard.edu/food/4.html. J. White, â€Å"US trade union membership at lowest level in more than a century†, 2010, at http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/feb2010/unio-f03.shtml.

The Dumbing Down of American Fiction :: English Literature Fiction Books Essays

The Dumbing Down of American Fiction The 1976 film "Network" is an acerbic satire of television's single-minded obsession with mass ratings.One of the film's main characters, Howard Beale, is called the "Mad Prophet of the Airways," and his weekly harangues produce a "ratings motherlode"--yet he constantly admonishes his viewers to "Turn the damn tube off!"During one such rant Beale berates his audience as functional illiterates: "Less than three percent of you even read books!" he shouts messianically--and then promptly collapses from a sort of apoplexic overload. Almost twenty years later, contemplating the contemporary American publishing scene, I feel a Bealean rage coming on (and with it a vague longing for one of his fits).While three percent of the American population in 1976 would have been a little over six million readers, recent surveys suggest that the consistent buyers of books in this country now total no more than half that number, and may even be as few as one million.[1] That's total readership: your avid bodice ripper fans who buy romance in six-packs lumped in willy nilly with high brow mystery addicts who idolize PBS-bred Brits ... To say nothing of your popular science market, your science fiction market, your fitness market, your self-help market, your gourmet cooking market, your home carpentry market, your computer hacker market, your quilting and preserving and canning and gardening and hiking and hang gliding and bungee jumping market ... that is, all of these markets taken together may have around a million fans. Imagine all possible readers of anything made of words crammed into a bookstore roughly the size of 10 football stadiums.Large for a bookstore?Remember, with only one million readers to accommodate, it's the only bookstore.Just this one, and most days even it is cavernously empty; a single big, echoing bookstore in a nation of 250 million people, at least 200 million of whom can, if they so choose, read.Our potential customers total then not even one percent of the reading-capable population, but only half of one percent.If there are 100 million computers in this country, then there may be 100 times as many computers as there are consistent readers of books. Well, it's a post-book world, you respond.Books are, like the horse and buggy, obsolete.Like the typewriter.Like the barbershop quartet.Like the Cold War. And yet we holdouts, we inveterate readers, we who love our books so well for reasons so

Oedipus the King: Oedipus And The Gods :: essays research papers fc

In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by the playwright Sophocles these topics are heavily involved. We receive a clear insight into their roles in the play such as they both control man's actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall. The concepts of the gods and fate were created to explain things. In Ancient Greece there was a lot that was not understood; science was in its infancy and everything that happened could be explained by the will of the gods or fate. The gods were the height of power; they supposedly existed since the beginning of time. They were immortal, omnipresent and omnipotent. However, the different gods had different personalities. In this sense they were anthropomorphic. Having such mastery of the world would enable them to control man's behavior, as is shown in King Oedipus. The idea of fate has existed for a long time and exists even today. Fate revolves around the idea that people's lives are predetermined and that no matter what is done it cannot be changed. With the gods it was used to explain events that seemed strange. Sophocles expands on this idea by introducing Oedipus' fate. The thought of fate is strong considering no matter how hard he struggles he still receives what was predetermined. As a baby he survived the elements on Mount Cithaeron. As Oedipus was destined to live, it shows the dominance of fate. Having fate play such a large part of the play is certainly an insight into the Greek's idea that fate controls us no matter how hard we struggle against it. In the play the dominance of the gods is shown again and again. In the second stasimon after Tiresias leaves the chorus chants "Zeus and Apollo know, they know, the great masters of all the dark and depth of human life", reasserting the belief in the god's power. At the very opening of the play, the priest who converses with Oedipus says ". . . You cannot equal the gods, your children know that. . . ", proving again the Greek belief that the gods are the height of power. However, it is not only the people that revere the gods. After Oedipus blinds himself, Creon takes control of Thebes. When Oedipus asks to be banished, Creon replies "Not I. Only the gods can give you that", again acknowledging the higher authority of the gods.

Cayman Islands History :: Historical Cayman Island Essays

Cayman Islands History Over the last five hundred years the Cayman Islands have had a rich and diverse history. They grew from being very isolated islands inhabited mostly by crocodiles and turtles to being one of the worlds premier tourist and financial centers. Being so small and isolated has given the Caymanians a strong sense of history and culture that is distinct, even from their Caribbean neighbors. They enjoyed a relative sense of insulation from many of the problems that plagued the rest of the region. The Caymans were â€Å"discovered† by the west by Christopher Columbus on his fourth and final voyage to the new world. His two ships, the Capitana and the Santiago sighted two small islands on May 10, 1503. These islands he called â€Å"Las Tortugas† because of their abundance of sea turtles, these islands eventually became Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Columbus’ ships were off course when they sighted the islands and did not set foot on the islands. Columbus was an unintentional witness to the yearly gathering of sea turtles to mate and lay eggs. They were so abundant that their shells were mistaken for large rocks on the beaches. The turtles yearly migration was a large influence on the islands early history. Due to the lack of farm able land the Caymans were overlooked by the Spanish and became populated much later than many of the other Caribbean islands. Grand Cayman was not populated until the 1730's and Cayman Brac was not permanently settled until 1833. The first settlements were seasonal turtling outposts. The islands were a popular stop for passing pirates because of a few natural fresh water wells and the abundance of turtles and other animals that could be used for provisions. The low-lying Caymans have always been a challenge to ships navigating the region. All three islands have reefs surrounding the majority of their coasts, and the islands themselves being so low; they are very difficult for approaching ships to see, especially at night. The islands are also located on several popular shipping routes used from colonial times to today. Ships leaving Central America passed the Caymans on their way to the Gulf of Mexico and the strait of Florida, allowing the Gulf Stream to carry them out to the Atlantic. Large numbers of ships and dangerous reef lined islands is a recipe for shipwrecks and the Caymans have seen more than their fair share. Cayman Islands History :: Historical Cayman Island Essays Cayman Islands History Over the last five hundred years the Cayman Islands have had a rich and diverse history. They grew from being very isolated islands inhabited mostly by crocodiles and turtles to being one of the worlds premier tourist and financial centers. Being so small and isolated has given the Caymanians a strong sense of history and culture that is distinct, even from their Caribbean neighbors. They enjoyed a relative sense of insulation from many of the problems that plagued the rest of the region. The Caymans were â€Å"discovered† by the west by Christopher Columbus on his fourth and final voyage to the new world. His two ships, the Capitana and the Santiago sighted two small islands on May 10, 1503. These islands he called â€Å"Las Tortugas† because of their abundance of sea turtles, these islands eventually became Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Columbus’ ships were off course when they sighted the islands and did not set foot on the islands. Columbus was an unintentional witness to the yearly gathering of sea turtles to mate and lay eggs. They were so abundant that their shells were mistaken for large rocks on the beaches. The turtles yearly migration was a large influence on the islands early history. Due to the lack of farm able land the Caymans were overlooked by the Spanish and became populated much later than many of the other Caribbean islands. Grand Cayman was not populated until the 1730's and Cayman Brac was not permanently settled until 1833. The first settlements were seasonal turtling outposts. The islands were a popular stop for passing pirates because of a few natural fresh water wells and the abundance of turtles and other animals that could be used for provisions. The low-lying Caymans have always been a challenge to ships navigating the region. All three islands have reefs surrounding the majority of their coasts, and the islands themselves being so low; they are very difficult for approaching ships to see, especially at night. The islands are also located on several popular shipping routes used from colonial times to today. Ships leaving Central America passed the Caymans on their way to the Gulf of Mexico and the strait of Florida, allowing the Gulf Stream to carry them out to the Atlantic. Large numbers of ships and dangerous reef lined islands is a recipe for shipwrecks and the Caymans have seen more than their fair share.

Virtual Child

My Virtual Child Assignment Name: ___________________________________________ Section: ______ Complete the following questions in the space provided, based on the information that was provided to you at nine months (end of eight month period) and again at 19 months. The Question| Your Response| Reference (text) & pg. #| Mark| 1. How does your baby's eating, sleeping and motor development compare to the typical developmental patterns? (2 marks)| | | No substance0| Weak1| Adequate1. 5| Well done2| | 2.At 8 months of age was your child an â€Å"easy†, â€Å"slow-to-warm-up†, or â€Å"difficult† baby in terms of Thomas and Chess's classic temperamental categories? On what do you base this judgement? (2 marks)| | | No substance0| Weak1| Adequate1. 5| Well done2| | 3. How is your child's attachment to you and your partner developing? What is happening at the 3-month and 8-month periods that might affect attachment security according to Bowlby and Ainsworth, and various research studies? (2 marks)| | | No substance0| Weak1| Adequate1. 5| Well done2| |At 9 Months At 19 Months The Question| Your Response| Reference (text) ; pg. #| Mark| 1. Describe and give examples of changes in your child's exploratory or problem solving behavior from 8 through 18 months and categorize them according to Piagetian and information processing theories. Note that 8 months is included, so you'll need to use the time-line to look back at 8 months for examples. (3 marks)| | | No substance0| Weak1. 5| Adequate2. 5| Well done3| | 2. Analyze your baby's temperament in more detail at 18 months than you did at 8 months. How would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of temperament utilized by the Virtual Child program (activity, sociability, emotionality, aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness, and self-control)? Has your baby's temperament been stable over the first 18 months? A blurb defining and providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months, but you should seek out further explanations of temperament from your textbook.Explain how the concept of goodness of fit (also discussed in the blurb on infant temperament) applies to your interactions with your child. (3 marks)| | | No substance0| Weak1. 5| Adequate2. 25| Well done3| | Excellent (3) Good (2. 5) Satis. (2) Weak (1) Excellent = 3 Good/Satisfactory = 2 Weak = 1 Excellent (3) Good (2. 5) Satis. (2) Weak (1) Excellent = 3 Good/Satisfactory = 2 Weak = 1 Reference(s): Mark: /12 (content) + /3 (writing) Total /15

Employee Handbook Essay

When employers are putting together the employee handbook, they need to include some legal issues that may apply when there are any disputes or how go along with some procedures. The handbook is used to familiarize the employees with the policies and procedures that are to be followed in the organization. Employers may include certain provisions that dictate how the employees may carry out certain activities without putting the employer’s business in jeopardy. The employers should ensure that they use the right language that will be later be interpreted by the employees in the right manner and that may not be violating employee organizational rights. Most employers ensure that the employee handbook has certain restrictions that prevent employees from sharing the employer’s confidential information with outsiders. Such information is not usually available to the public and if it happens that it is leaked out, it would cause some damages to their business. However, it is under the National Labor Relations act (NLRA) that the employees are free to discuss details about their compensation or conditions against which they have been employed with other people who are not part of the organization. The NLRB prohibits employers from giving policies of this nature. One of the Sections in the NLRA states that employees have a right to join or form unions or even be engaged in concerted activities. However another section states that there are unfair labor practices that may be faced by an employer if employees join or form these unions or engage in other concerted activities. There may be problematic employee organizational rights that are under the NRLA but the employers can draft them in such a way that they are lawful according to the Act. The employers may include some anti-union statements that may be used when employees engage in unfair labor practices. Whatever provisions are included in the handbook about legal considerations such as how the employer may violate the rights of the employees and generally how each party should conduct its activities without hurting each other. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS With many and different types of employees from different parts of a nation or even region, there is always a need for the employers to have certain considerations concerning the ethical culture of the organization. The ethical culture of an organization defines how the employees are to carry out all the operations in the organization. Employees are supposed to treat customers with much respect since they are the major source of profits for the organization. They are supposed to take care of the interests of the employers and at the same time take care of their own interests. These interests should not be in conflict since they depend on the employer and the employer also depends on their efforts. The ethical considerations may also involve how to pass information to their core workers or the line managers or even to the top management. They are supposed to use a certain communication channel that has been specified in the employee handbook. Communication is one of the important aspects in a business and therefore employers may consider this as one of the elements that determine the public image that they depict to the general public. Privacy is also a matter of ethical consideration whereby the employees are obligated to keep information about their employer to themselves and not discuss their terms and conditions of their employment. Each organization and employer will have their own considerations to include in the employee handbooks but they should conform to the Acts of the National Labor Relations Act. Roger K. G. , Bankovich, C. & Browning,J. (2005). What’s in Your Employee Handbook? Some Provisions May Be Harmful Rather Than Helpful Under the National Labor Relations Act. ASHHRA/IRI 24th Labor Activity Report. Papademetriou, L. (2003). Employee Handbook: We Scare Because We Care. London: Random House Publishers.

Coursework on ‘Othello’

A tragic event is a disastrous and dreadful event. A tragedy is usually when someone is killed. A hero is usually a man who is courageous and displays noble qualities; he is perceived by people to be very muscular and strong. So a tragic hero is a person who is an exceptional person, but has a fatal flaw. This is normally exposed and then twisted by the villain. To the audience he is amazing, and so when he is killed it is a tragedy for the audience as the world has lost such an outstanding person, the hero then can no longer contribute to society. In this play the tragic hero is Othello. He is a tragic hero as he as achieved a lot. He is an outsider, and also is not very young; in addition he is not white, but black. Even though he is all of this he still becomes a general and attracts a very beautiful seventeen year old girl. But he has a flaw; this is his jealousy. This flaw is twisted and exploited by the villain of the play, Iago. As the play goes on we see how jealousy corrupts the mind of Othello, resulting in his death. In this play there are many different themes shaped and formed. These are jealousy, men and women and race and colour. The main theme represented in this play, is jealousy. There are three main types of jealousy in this play they are professional, sexual and racial. Professional jealousy is portrayed by Iago in this play as he is jealous of Michael Cassio. This is because he was promoted to lieutenant by Othello and Iago was not. Iago calls Michael Cassio a ‘great arithmetician' he shows that he is jealous of Cassio as he is doing better than him even though he is also a outsider. He may have become Othello's lieutenant as he, like Othello, is an outsider. When Iago says ‘A fellow almost damned in a fair wife' he is showing that he is sexually jealous of Cassio as he is more sexually attractive than him and many women like him. This makes Iago feel more hate and jealousy for Cassio. When Iago is talking to Brabantio he says ‘An old black ram is tupping your white ewe' this is showing that Iago is racially jealous of Othello. Therefore this shows that Iago is jealous that Othello has married a beautiful and noble, young girl. All of these various types of jealousy felt by Iago in the play lead to terrible tragedies. The opening scene creates a build up of atmosphere with political and social aspects. The scene begins at night in Venice. Venice was infamous for political intrigue. There were many Machiavellian characters around. It was known to be an amoral place, where the people could not be trusted as they where cunning and sly. The scene is set at night where dark and underhand deeds are covered up, and not seen by the light of day. It begins with two characters, Roderigo and Iago, disputing. Roderigo is fervent to possess Desdemona, with the help of Iago. They talk about another character who has been appointed by the council, general of the Venetian army. We learn that he is a Moor and an outsider. Also we find out that one Michael Cassio is the lieutenant, a position which Iago craves. Othello in this scene is not referred to by name, and we soon learn that he is hated by Roderigo and Iago. All of this talk about Othello makes the audience anxious to find out about him and meet this quite exceptional person. This causes a mood and atmosphere of curiosity and dramatic tension. In the first scene of ‘Othello' Iago is introduced. This scene is very important as it lays the foundations for the tragedies which develop later in the play. As he is introduced he has a big impact on the audience. He is portrayed in the first scene to be a person who is in control of what he does, and someone who has control over others, and seems to be someone who is ambitious. Iago is brought into the first scene talking to Roderigo. Roderigo begins the dialogue with Iago. In his few opening lines he says ‘Iago, who hast had my purse as if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this. This shows that Roderigo does not trust Iago about him being able to procure Desdemona, from Othello for him. Also this shows the audience that Iago's services can be bought with money, revealing that he is mercenary. Furthermore the name Iago sounds Spanish, so to the Stuart audience this would show instantly that he was a malevolent character, as at this time to England the Spanish people were enemies. Following Roderigo's few words, Iago replies with a blasphemous ‘sblood' meaning God's blood. This shows his derision for Christ and for Christian values. This single word would have shocked and surprised the Stuart audience, who were religious. Iago asserts his hate towards the ‘Moor' Othello. He says in great detail about Othello ‘off-capped to him; I am worth no worse a place. But he, as loving his own pride and purposes, evades them with a bombast circumstance, horribly stuffed with epithets of war. ‘ Here he is telling Roderigo how he despises Othello for not letting him become a lieutenant, instead passing him over for ‘one Michael Cassio, a Florentine. Iago then calls Cassio ‘a great arithmetician' this is Iago being sarcastic; he is implying that Michael Cassio has no experience or idea of war. Iago speaks on talking about Michael Cassio by insulting where he is from, saying that he is a ‘Florentine'. He is saying that Cassio the Florentine knows nothing of war. This displays Iago of being racially prejudiced to foreigners and outsiders. This is the same for Othello; there may be a reason to why Cassio was chosen over Iago as Cassio and Othello are both outsiders. Iago comments on Cassio, of being ‘a fellow almost damned in a fair wife. This reveals that he may be sexually jealous of Cassio, as many women are attracted to him. Iago continues on, to again insult Cassio even more saying ‘that never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows more than a spinster, unless the bookish theoric. ‘ This shows that he may be upset about being passed over for promotion, and his abhorrence for Cassio. I believe from what I have seen from what Iago says about Cassio, he may feel intellectually inferior to Cassio as he says ‘as masterly as he is' screening that Iago may feel he has been challenged by someone better and more academic than him. This is the audience's first sign of professional jealousy. Iago then finally ends this speech with a sardonic phrase of ‘his moorship' this is a derogatory connotation, which is a play on the phrase ‘his worship. ‘ Iago proves to Roderigo just how much he hates Othello, by insulting him and by slandering Cassio. With all of this hatred Iago has he causes the demotion of Cassio, the murder of Desdemona, the suicide of Othello and the downfall of himself. Our visions of Othello are all shaped by what Iago says in his dialogue with Roderigo. The audience may become doubtful of what Iago says as his views are amoral. There are important lines from this long speech revealing Iago's real character. But the main theme of this speech is how he hates Othello, and his lack of true loyalty and integrity. Moreover he tells Roderigo his plan and how it will affect him; Roderigo follows Iago foolishly not seeing that he is being used because of his desire to possess Desdemona. This speech also shows how Iago is able to ingeniously manipulate people. He begins to say ‘I follow him to serve my turn upon him' this is basically showing how is only serving Othello to help himself and using it for his advantage. This shows that Iago is ambitious as he knows what he wants, and does anything to get it. Also he is disloyal and self-serving as he is just getting what he wants out of his actions, and is betraying his so called friend Othello. In addition he is cunning and sly getting exactly what he wants, by deceiving people. He says an important line which is ‘heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty' this shows that Iago is not interested in love and does not really care about it. He has no concept of love. This leads to the later point of his attitude towards women in general. He also says the blasphemous phrase of ‘I am not what I am' this shows that he is going against God's words of ‘I am what I am. ‘ This shows that he once again is disrespectful of Christian values and of Christ. But this line could also be showing that Iago may have a layer to his character, which is unseen by other people. We can see that what Roderigo says is an echo of how Iago speaks, especially about Othello. We witness Roderigo say a racist comment about Othello, ‘the thick-lips owe. ‘ This is a phrase which is mirrored from the way Iago addresses Othello. Iago is manipulating people to become like him, evil. Iago feels he needs to instigate his plan and tells Roderigo to ‘rouse Brabantio, make after him, poison his delight, proclaim him in the streets. ‘ This shows that Iago delights in causing trouble and enjoys stage managing chaos. Roderigo is polite and kind in talking to the senator, getting them nowhere so it is Iago's crude and disgusting descriptions of ‘an old black ram, is tupping your white ewe' which make Brabantio irate. The animal imagery here is representing the sexual connection between Desdemona the noble women with the ‘Moor' general Othello. This sexual reference is then linked with the suggestion of Cassio being ‘a fellow almost damned in a fair wife,' and with his job to help match up Roderigo and Desdemona. This shows that Iago thinks of women to be objects, and disregards love. He is unable to understand love, or the relationships between men and women. We can see from this scene that Iago is able to control and manipulate people to his own advantage. From this scene altogether we see that Iago is a cynical malcontent. He is malicious in his acts and crude with his language, he is able to manipulate people for his own needs, and exaggerates situations to his own advantage. We see how he despises men who wear their hearts on their sleeves, and who don't look out for their own interests. He likes people, who are self-serving, and people who do evil deeds for money, people who are untrustworthy and who pretend to be honest. His speeches in these scenes are energetic and shocking to many audiences, they are full of egotistical disgust. Furthermore Iago has an underhand way of being absent when actions which he has instigated come to head. Iago is a compelling and sophisticated villain. In this play there are two main scenes where Iago puts his Machiavellian plans in to operation. Iago's plans are malicious; he puts his plans into action in act 2 scene 3, and in act 3 scene 3. In act 2 scene 3 all of Iago's tactics and ideas become reality. Upon arrival in Cyprus Iago persuades Cassio to have a drink by saying ‘come, lieutenant, I have a stoup of wine. ‘ Cassio keeps on refusing Iago's offers, as he has ‘very poor and unhappy brains for drinking. ‘ But Cassio is not able to resist it, and takes some wine, causing him to become ‘full of quarrel and offence. ‘ Iago perceives this as his chance to instigate his plan. Continuing to manipulate Roderigo effortlessly, he makes him start off a quarrel and a brawl with Cassio. Cassio gets wound up by Roderigo, as Roderigo gives witty remarks like ‘beat me? ‘ These comments from Roderigo and the fact that he is drunk cause Cassio to get aggravated, and therefore fight. Othello gets alerted by the brawl, and finds Montano and Cassio fighting. Montano is hurt, ‘zounds I bleed still. ‘ Othello asks ‘honest Iago' to find out what happened. This is dramatic irony as Othello thinks that Iago is an honest person, whereas the audience knows that he is not, that he is crude and evil. This puts the audience in the position of knowing more than the characters, increasing tension. Othello dismisses Cassio from his position, and he is demoted, just as Iago wanted. As Cassio is dismissed, Iago gets the chance to take his place, and get access to Othello so he can poison and corrupt his mind with his words. Iago speaks and acts in this scene as if he always has someone else's interests at heart. He enjoys presenting himself in the best possible light. In this scene as Othello is being informed on the brawl by Iago, Iago acts as if he wants to help Cassio, he says to Othello ‘I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth than it should do offence to Michael Cassio. This is all part of Iago's plan to make himself look trustworthy and loyal, towards Othello. He here seems to be reluctant to accuse Cassio. This is not only to make Iago look loyal, but also to make Othello see how disgracefully his lieutenant has acted. Othello likes to here the direct truth, even though he appreciates the false ‘protection' of Cassio, given by Iago. We see Iago's ingenious and spiteful ideas when he decides to use Desdemona, who is innocent, and who he has no quarrel with, to ‘enmesh them all. ‘ We see how pleased he is in his speech, that he has the intelligence and power to turn Desdemona's ‘virtue into pitch. As before we see how Iago dislikes honesty and innocence. Even Iago's wife Emilia, is fooled in thinking that Iago wants to help Michael Cassio. Iago's only loyalty is to himself. Iago's imagery is crude, he will convince Othello that all the meetings that Iago and Desdemona are having, is an affair. He is planting the seeds of jealousy into Othello's mind. He tries to convince him that his wife wants Cassio, and that she will ‘undo her credit with the Moor. Ã¢â‚¬Ë œ In this scene Iago disrupts Othello's wedding night, and Iago turns Othello against the people he trusted and loved. Act 3 scene 3 is the pivotal scene where Iago puts his Machiavellian plans into operation. Iago wants Othello to perceive that Cassio is having an affair with Cassio. Iago in this scene once again is pretending to be friends with Cassio. Iago knows exactly how Othello operates, and so he knows how to get inside his head. Iago tries to avoid answering Othello's questions directly. He does this as he knows this builds up suspicion in Othello's mind. He also often imitates Othello's questions as he Othello says ‘is he honest. ‘ Subsequently Iago avoids the question and says ‘honest my lord! This is another technique that Iago uses to raise suspicion from ‘Othello. Iago when talking to Othello about Desdemona repeatedly reminds him how she had deceitfully behaved, and the painful reminder that he is an outsider. Iago tells Othello that she could have made other ‘natural' choices. Iago keeps angering Othello by manipulating and poisoning his mind. Iago tells Othello ‘look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio; where your eyes thus, not jealous nor secure. ‘ He essentially tells Othello to see his wife neutrally, and not to get angry when looking upon her with Cassio. Another way that Iago tries to persuade Othello is by saying ‘she did deceive her father, and when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks. ‘ Iago here tries to show Othello that she is not loyal and noble, as she already deceived her father by marrying him, because of what she wanted. So Iago is questioning Othello, on what is stopping her from doing it again. Iago pretends to care about Othello as he says ‘trust me I fear it has. I hope you will consider what is spoke comes from my love. ‘ He is telling Othello that he has his best interests at heart. After Iago knows that the poison he gave to Othello through words has held, and once Othello has become vengeful, he knows he must take the role of being a noble and loyal friend. There is irony here as Othello is seeking to kill Cassio; he is carrying out Iago's revenge for him. WE find out from this scene that Othello is weak and insecure, as the emotion of love that he has for Desdemona loses against Iago's crude language. Othello left alone he wonders ‘Why did I marry? ‘ This shows that he already knows that his wife is false. He begins to speak of ‘the curse of marriage. ‘ Although he resists Iago's version of Desdemona, it is the fake story of Cassio having a dream about her which breaks him. He returns angry much more angry with his words, but still does not know what to believe ‘I think my wife be honest, and think she is not. ‘ But we see from the crude images conjuring in his mind, and the violence of his speech that Iago is winning. He speaks violently of ‘poison, or fire, or suffocating streams. ‘ He curses ‘death and damnation' and says ferociously ‘I'll tear her all to pieces. We see here that Iago has fully corrupted his mind, and Othello like Roderigo is beginning to talk with crude and malicious language, just like Iago. Iago's plans in act 3 scene 3 are successful, as he is able to demote Cassio from his position. Iago is able to successfully play a number of roles, and is able to adapt his tone and style to suit any occasion. In this scene Iago acts apparently loyal, and as if he has everybody else's interests at heart. He presents himself as a noble friend to Cassio, and in the best possible light. From discrediting Cassio, Iago is able to get close to Othello. This then means that he is able to corrupt and poison Othello's mind, with his crude words. The demotion weakens Othello's position, and gives Iago a great advantage to put his wicked plan into operation. As Iago gains access to Othello's mind from Cassio, he is able to use his skills in manipulation, to make Othello see things that are not actually happening. He makes Othello perceive that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, and that she is being unfaithful towards him. Also he makes Othello demote Cassio because of a brawl, which Roderigo initiated. These events, which are stage managed by Iago all lead to the tragic denouement, Othello and Desdemona's deaths. The way he acts in this scene is similar to the way he acts in act 1 scene, as he pretends to have Roderigo's interests at heart in act 1 scene 1, and in act 2 scene 3 he acts as if he has Cassio's interests at heart. In both scenes he appears to be loyal to his friends, when he is actually fooling everyone and is only loyal to himself. Also in both of these scenes he is always manipulating people, just to see the downfall of Othello. Part of Iago's success in act 2 scene 3 lies in the fact that he tells all of his victims exactly what they want to hear, or he uses arguments which would make his victims think like him, in a crude malicious manner. Act 3 scene 3 is the pivotal point in the play because Othello is convinced of his wife's corruption; Othello makes a sacred oath never to change his mind about her or to soften his feelings towards her until he acts out a violent revenge. At this point, Othello is fixed in his course, and the disastrous ending of the play is unavoidable. Othello swears to Iago that he will kill Desdemona and Cassio. Just as the play replaces the security of peace with the anxiety of domestic strife, Othello replaces the security of his marriage with the hateful paranoia of an alliance with Iago. Iago is the one who causes Othello's downfall, as he sows the seeds of suspicion in his mind. Iago's methods in this scene are more subtle. He pretends to be reluctant to speak. Desdemona keeps irritating Othello, by asking when he will reinstate Cassio. This angers Othello as; he is already suspicious of Cassio having an affair with Desdemona. Iago persistently acts as if he is protecting Cassio. Othello becomes more and more suspicious from what Iago tells him, and Iago uses ‘key' words which get to Othello, for example ‘think' and ‘honest. ‘ We can see how Iago falsely protects Cassio as he says, ‘I think Cassio's an honest man. ‘ Iago is protecting Cassio and not telling Othello the direct truth. This causes Othello to feel more suspicious of Cassio. Iago tells Othello about how Cassio and Desdemona have secretly been meeting, and so when Othello perceives it himself he becomes infuriated. Othello gives the secret of his downfall to Iago. This is Othello's flaw. Othello says ‘when I love thee not, chaos is come again. ‘ The significance is that if Othello stops loving Desdemona he will disintegrate, and crumble to pieces. Iago now has something to act on, and can exploit this feeling, to ‘poison' and destroy Othello. Iago's final words in this scene chillingly mock the language of love and marriage: ‘I am your own forever. ‘ Iago is a malicious, malevolent and crude person. He is able to manipulate, and twist people's feelings to his own advantage. He is brilliant at stage managing events, and is capable of hoodwinking others to believe he is honest. When Iago speaks in his soliloquies he is boastful and dismissive. Iago is a very untrustworthy character, as we have seen from how he has fooled everyone to trust him. Iago is a complex character, only himself and the audience knows what he is really like. In this play we see how Iago is able to put his skills of manipulation into act. Many believe he may have a homosexual side and tries to replace Desdemona, but this is only some views as his relationship with Othello is very complicated. Iago is highly intellectual socially. In this play he is the bringer off death and pain upon many characters, he is like the grim reaper. Iago is partly responsible for bringing death to Othello, but it is not all his fault. It is true that he used his skills to manipulate people, and his ability to ‘poison' and corrupt people's minds to bring Othello's downfall, but it is also the faults of the people he manipulated, for being weak minded. Roderigo, who was firstly manipulated, followed Iago as his drive and passion to possess Desdemona got in the way. Cassio's flaw was that he only became manipulated as he believed Iago was his true friend, and that he was there to help him, he was also too trusting. Desdemona also had a fatal flaw, which was that she could be deceitful; also she loved and trusted Othello to a great extent. Finally Iago's greatest achievement was convincing and manipulating Othello. Othello has the most significant fatal flaw; he had a high amount of jealousy. Iago was able to exploit all of these weaknesses. But the biggest was Othello's which all lead to the catastrophic deaths of Othello and his Desdemona.

Hannibal’s Crossing of the Alps

Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps is one of history’s most remarkable military achievements even to this day. There are many accounts of the crossing of the Alps and what happened during those weeks and we can only speculate and use the sources and information that has lived through the decay of time. Our main primary sources that historians use to piece together the crossing of the Alps are by two of Rome’s most famous historians, Polybius and Livy.Polybius was a very rounded and mostly non-biased historian who got out of his way to travel to his locations to document facts and information which he used in his text and who lived during the time of the First and Second Punic Wars. On the other hand we have Livy who was a very pro-Roman historian who had documented his facts based on other historians who were before him as he lived almost 200 years after the Punic wars.When we compare the two accounts by both historians we tend to believe and rely more on the accoun ts made by Polybius as we know him as a reliable and fairly non-biased source whereas Livy was very biased towards Rome and based his information off of other historians. Although we see Polybius as the more reliable source, Livy does come up with some points that concern the crossing that are quite conflicting with the information presented to us by Polybius. By analysing both of these accounts we can get a better understanding of the crossing of Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps.Polybius who was a very reliable historian who we know lived around 200-118 BC during the time of the two Punic Wars provided a very detailed account of both Punic wars and Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps. Polybius is known for his determination to get actual factual evidence and firsthand knowledge of events that occurred. He resided in Rome for most of his life and occasionally undertaking long journeys throughout the Mediterranean to get knowledge on historical sites and interview primary so urces who were actually at the events.Polybius’s works (The Histories) documents the events between 264 and 146 BC which mainly involved the rise of the Roman Empire and the effort in which they went to subdue their rival Carthage. Polybius documents the First and Second Punic wars with incredible detail and is our main source for the wars, although Livy also provides some very important facts and information. Titus Livius Patavinus (59 BC – AD 17) (more commonly known as Livy) we know as to be a very pro- Roman historian who can be seen as very biased towards the Romans and paints them in an honourable and almighty glow within his texts.Some of his texts we can see as just plain lies and so we are reluctant to solely use Livy’s information to base our research and understanding around. Livy wrote a complete history of Rome from its very foundations all the way up to the reign of Augustus in Livy’s own time but the only surviving work of his is the  "History of Rome†. During the reign of Augustus Livy wrote his texts emphasizing the accomplishments and triumphs of Rome, and wrote everything with a pro-Roman view to promote a new type of government which was implemented by the emperor Augustus.With that being said a lot of Livy’s texts and accounts mislead to reader into taking a Roman view and often cut out pieces of information which would downgrade the view on Rome, and so we have come to rely more on Polybius’s accounts than Livy’s, although Livy does also provide many accounts and descriptions of events that are unavailable elsewhere and so his texts and reports are still highly valued is one of the main sources we have. Both Polybius’s and Livy’s accounts of Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps can be seen to have many similarities and so we can determine that the same source and information has been used.Although there are many similarities between the two there are also some dif ferences which can be seen throughout both texts. For example when Hannibal is crossing the Alps and he soon finds his path blocked by a pile of rocks Livy states that he uses Vinegar and Fire to break through the rock. Polybius says nothing of the subject and up to this day there has been no evidence of rock that has been carbonized at the site in which Livy had stated. Livy’s accounts of the crossing were very much the same as Polybius’s although we can see in some parts of Livy’s work that his Roman bias has written the work for him.When Hannibal was making a speech to his men after their crossing of the Rhone Polybius wrote that Hannibal spoke of their past achievements and that the hardest part of their journey was already over, but according to Livy Hannibal told his men that they were going to be fighting against the most powerful and grandest city in the world. This was not the case in Hannibal’s time and so we can clearly see that Livy had just c reated a false fact and account just to paint Rome in a brighter light.Livy’s biased for Rome is something that constantly alters Livy’s accounts. Much of Hannibal’s ascent and crossing of the Alps documented by Polybius and Livy are very similar with only a few minor alterations in the accounts of some events which took place. The main reason why the accounts of some events are different is mainly because of Livy’s biased and attitude towards Rome which makes him document the account and alter it in such a way that it paints Rome in a sense of glory and success.Another main reason which dictates the differences of the accounts is that Polybius who lived during the time of these events could go to places and get a firsthand experience and knowledge of the event by interviewing the people involved and taking notes on the actual location whereas Livy who lived a long time after the crossing had to rely on other peoples accounts and could not get firsthand k nowledge on a lot of the events.The crossing of the Alps is a fairly well documented event during the Second Punic war and one that is the most remarkable. Polybius and Livy both have very detailed accounts of the crossing and we rely on this information to piece together Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps. Although some of the facts of the crossing remain disputed and unknown we have sufficient information between both sources to have a good understanding of the crossing.Both historians give a lot of information on the crossing although we tend to use Polybius’s account as it is more reliable and he had firsthand experience and knowledge whereas we know Livy to be a very pro-Roman and did not live during the event but many years later. Both accounts of the crossing have proved to be very useful for our understanding of Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps.

Subordination of People to Systems and Organisations in the 21st Essay

Subordination of People to Systems and Organisations in the 21st Century - Essay Example Morgan further illustrated his views by studying eight organisational metaphors: Machines: Organisations can be perceived to be logical enterprises, which are created to accomplish predetermined objectives in a competent manner through the linear aspects of cause and effect. Organisms: Organisations can be viewed as being living organisms that aim to transform in such a manner that they are capable of surviving or remaining relevant in a changing environment. Brains: Organisations can be viewed as being a type of brain that is flexible, inventive, and resilient. Here, the facility for intelligence is presumed to be distributed all through the enterprise, thus allowing the entire system to self-organise and develop along with the rising challenges. Cultures: Organisations can be said to be mini-societies that have their own rituals, values, beliefs and ideologies. They can also be defined as continuing procedures of reality construction that permit people to see and appreciate particu lar actions, events, comments, objects, and situations in distinct ways. For example, most restaurants have â€Å"back of the house† as well as â€Å"front of the house† operations (Morgan, 2006). Workers at the front are usually hired to portray a certain appearance as well as personality. The employees serving in the back might not have similar dress codes as those in the front because the culture there is totally different. Political Systems: Organisations can be perceived to be structures of political activity, with outlines of conflict, competing interests, and power. Psychic Prisons: Organisations can be viewed as being systems that get caught up in their own objectives in which mind traps, obsessions, strong emotions, narcissism, anxiety, illusions of control, and defence mechanisms are at the centre of attention. Flux and Transformation: Organisations are perceived as being representations of the lengthy processes of change. Instruments of Domination: Organisat ions are perceived to be systems that take advantage of the natural environment, their workers, and the worldwide economy to accomplish their own objectives (Robertson, Wang and Trivisvavet, 2007) Managers usually oversee functions in all organisations. A manager is a person who organises, plans, controls and leads the activities as well as the employees of an organisation in an efficient way that leads to the organisation realising its objectives. Management specifically concerns the managers of a business as well as their responsibilities in that organisation. Many people believe that managers are made, not born; while others feel that managerial skills form an intrinsic quality that cannot be taught. It has been suggested that the reality is a combination of both opinions (Morgan, 2006). A manager has to have an intrinsic potential before the talent can be fine tuned into being a useful skill. The basic underlying skills are not enough to make a person become a good manager. The inborn skill to be manager has to be developed in the right environment and given